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3rd Year Without Homecoming Concert at Tennessee State

Photo credit: Delaware State University Hip-hop artist Baby Cham, left, visited backstage with Ira Daniels, Student Government Association president at Delaware State University, during that school's homecoming concert. At Delaware State, the SGA sponsors the event.

By Brian C. Browley and M. Antonio Silas
Black College Wire

Tennessee State University will not have a homecoming concert for the third year in a row due to planning discrepancies and a lack of funding for the homecoming committee, according to administrators.

After two failed attempts to find promoters to handle the logistics, officials decided there was not adequate time to prepare.

Jason Brewer, program and events coordinator for Gentry Center, a facility for health, physical education, athletics and convocations, said planning for a homecoming concert began in the spring semester.

"There were several promoters, and all of them fell through," Ronald Myles, director of student activities, said. "TSU doesn't put much money up for promotion to get the artists here. Most of the time, TSU just offers the site for the performer. There were also problems with the contract arrangement."

"In April after T.I., we were in talks with promoters," said Brewer, referring to the Atlanta rapper. A homecoming committee meeting took place after the concert, he said.

Brewer said the university planned to use the same promoter who secured Lil' Wayne for a spring concert last semester, but the promoter pulled out.

"The university took too long processing the fees or whatnot with the promoter," said Brewer. "The same promoter for the Wayne concert pulled out because of the way things were handled."

While planning issues kept the homecoming committee from using one promoter, money issues lead to a deal falling though with another.

"The homecoming committee doesn't have the money to produce a concert," said Brewer. Michael Green, CEO of the promoters Phi Fin Inc., "wanted a partnership with the university. The university would purchase 4,000 tickets at $20" each. "The university didn't have enough."

At $20 each, the university would have paid roughly $80,000 for the tickets, depending on taxes or other fees.

Brewer said Green tried to arrange to alter the contract and pay for everything up front, but because of time constraints, the university chose not to have a concert.

"It was decided in a student affairs meeting that the timeline was too short, and due to the time, there wouldn't be a concert," said Brewer. Michael Freeman, vice president of student affairs, "couldn't even read the proposal until late September."

While Tennessee State plans for a homecoming concert fell though, other historically black colleges and universities have been able to secure chart-topping acts for their homecomings by using outside promoters.

Lori Jackson-Stewart, counselor of student organizations and adviser to the Student Government Association at Jackson State University, said she has been making plans for homecoming since this spring.

She said she had been talking to the promoter "since the beginning of the spring semester, and I sealed the deal in late August, early September."

Jackson-Stewart said "we selected the artist[s]" and the promoter took care of everything else. Jackson State's homecoming concert is scheduled for Nov. 9 with a lineup of Yung Joc, Dem Franchise Boys, Ulju and Urban Mystic.

At Tennessee State, the procurement of promoters or the planning is left to the homecoming committee, but at Jackson Sate, according to Jackson-Stewart, the Student Government Association funds the concert. Jackson State is not unique.

"SGA sponsors the concert and they take it out of their budget," said Emanuel Malunde, an assistant director of student affairs at Delaware State University. Delaware State's Oct. 13 homecoming concert drew a sellout crowd of 25,000 for artists Rick Ross, Baby Cham and Jim Jones. While booking big name acts for homecoming has been successful at Delaware State, it has also been expensive.

"The budget is $25,000 to $30,000, and that includes equipment, stage, lights and hospitality," said Malunde. According to Malunde, MIH Enterprises, a public relations firm based in Wilmington, Del., has been able to contract several well-known artists for Delaware State's homecoming over the past few years and the events have been very successful.

"Any artist [from] Young Jeezy, to Ludacris, to Rick Ross, for the past four or five years," has "totally sold out," said Malunde.

Brian C. Browley and M. Antonio Silas, students at Tennessee State University, write for the Meter. Browley is senior staff reporter and Silas is co-assistant arts & culture editor.

Posted Oct. 31, 2006